Amano Attends the JCPOA Commission and Makes a 'Ceremonial Visit' to Parchin

Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who is in Tehran, has attended a commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to review the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). At the same time, the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, reports that he has also made a 'ceremonial visit' to the Parchin facilities. Mr. Amano had stated before attending the JCPOA commission meeting that he would only be willing to answer questions from members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly if the meeting was held without the presence of television cameras. Initial reports from the welcoming ceremony of the commission members and the IAEA Director General have been published. News agencies Fars and Tasnim have referred to statements by Alireza Zakani, the head of this commission, who criticized the agency, saying, 'When the 20% fuel for the Tehran reactor was running out, the agency did not help us, and we had to provide it ourselves.' Yukiya Amano also stated, 'We made efforts that year to facilitate this issue, but unfortunately, this agreement was not reached in time, and we could not resolve the matter with the help of other countries. I must emphasize that other countries did not agree, and this issue is not related to the agency.' According to Fars news agency, he expressed hope that after the agreement is implemented, 'this work will be carried out in the context of technical cooperation.' The IAEA Director General also mentioned that this organization respects confidential matters and takes them seriously. He emphasized that the Additional Protocol will be implemented for Iran without discrimination or exception, just as it is for 120 other member countries. At the end of August, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that in the nuclear agreement, oversight beyond the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 'has not been considered.' Mr. Araghchi also added that in this agreement, 'one or two exceptions' regarding 'oversight' of Iran's nuclear program exist. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told IRNA that in the JCPOA commission meeting with Mr. Amano, 'the parties had mainly critical, useful, and constructive discussions.' Amano's ceremonial visit to Parchin was reported by the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, citing the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stating that Mr. Amano visited the Parchin facilities on the evening of September 20. Behrouz Kamalvandi mentioned that during this visit, Amano observed 'some workshop areas of this complex where unfounded claims were made, especially the process of repairing and reconstructing the access road to the Mamlou dam, adjacent to Parchin, which has subsided due to recent rains.' The Parchin facilities are military centers where discussions about oversight and finding answers regarding activities conducted there have been a significant and sensitive part of nuclear negotiations. On August 19, the Associated Press reported that in a secret agreement between Iran and the IAEA, Tehran was allowed to use its experts for inspections of the Parchin facilities. Nearly a month later, Reuters reported that during sampling, IAEA inspectors would also be present alongside Iranian specialists. The IAEA is trying to find answers regarding the possibility that some nuclear tests for military purposes were previously conducted at these facilities. Tehran claims that its nuclear program does not pursue military objectives.